Just Class B of the First Year

"Oh my, I really am quite careless."

Miyano Makoto said with a feigned tone, one that even he felt was a bit too theatrical.

"Minors aren't allowed to drink alcohol, so why would I even think of picking this up?"

He said this with his mouth, but his hand reached toward the chest of the girl beside him.

"This student, you wouldn't want the school to find out about your shoplifting, would you?"

Miyano Makoto lowered his voice.

Kamuro Masumi curled her lip, and with a look of reluctance, she pulled a can of beer from her coat and placed it into Miyano Makoto's hand.

"Here, take it. Can I go now?"

Miyano Makoto took the beer, wiped the surface with his hand, and put it back into the refrigerated cabinet.

"Of course. I just happened to be passing by; there's no need to ask for my opinion."

Miyano Makoto didn't intend to do anything about it—students should act like students—but...

"Can you stop doing things like this in the future?"

"You're so annoying! What I do is none of your business!"

Kamuro Masumi left, and Miyano Makoto could only let out a soft sigh.

"Is something wrong?"

Ichinose Honami appeared beside Miyano Makoto. She had witnessed everything that had just happened.

"That looked like Kamuro-san from our class. Was she just..."

"Just as you thought, she was shoplifting."

Miyano Makoto said truthfully.

"Honami, you should keep an eye on her from now on. I get the feeling she isn't stealing beer to drink it, but simply to satisfy a kleptomaniac urge."

"How did Makoto figure that out?"

"Well, think about it... is there really any high school girl who likes something as bitter as beer? Enough to risk shoplifting for it?"

"Does that mean Makoto has tasted it before?"

Ichinose Honami pointed out the flaw in Miyano Makoto's logic.

Crap, Miyano Makoto thought to himself. That was a thought from his past life, and he had let it slip out without realizing it.

"I tasted a little bit a long time ago."

It wasn't a big deal, though; Miyano Makoto easily fabricated a history that didn't exist.

"Alright, I'll keep a closer eye on her."

Ending the conversation that he found rather bland, he shifted the topic to Ichinose Honami.

"Do you have any plans for the afternoon, Honami?"

"Hmm... I think I'll be going to the mall with my friends."

Ichinose Honami pressed her index finger against her lower lip and tilted her head to the side.

"Look, they're over there watching us right now~"

"..."

Miyano Makoto stiffly turned his head in the direction Ichinose Honami was looking.

Sure enough, several girls who were ostensibly browsing for products were casting glances in their direction from time to time, whispering among themselves.

"Was this your idea, Honami?"

"Not at all. They insisted on confirming the relationship between you and me. They were there when we were eating earlier, too. Honestly, Makoto, you're so careless to be followed so easily."

Ichinose Honami chided Miyano Makoto for his lack of awareness, though her tone remained as gentle as ever.

"Sorry, sorry. There were just so many people at the start of the semester, I thought it wasn't strange for people to be heading the same way. So that's how it was..."

Miyano Makoto admitted his mistake to Ichinose Honami and offered his explanation.

"Then let's head to the dorms!"

Ichinose Honami wanted to go to the student dorms with Miyano Makoto.

"You should go on your own, Honami. I'm heading off."

Ichinose Honami watched Miyano Makoto leave. He was empty-handed, having left everything for her to deal with.

"What's wrong, Honami? Did your little boyfriend dump you and run off?"

Seeing Miyano Makoto leave, the girls who had been keeping their distance surrounded Ichinose Honami.

"No, he just had some personal business to take care of. Look, I even have his dorm key card right here!"

Ichinose Honami smiled and showed the room 301 key card from her pocket to the group.

"Wow! I'm so jealous, having a boyfriend who trusts you that much!"

"No, it's not like that between us..."

"..."

"Isn't it?"

"It isn't. Neither he nor I have expressed our feelings to the other."

"Even though you're at the stage where you can hand over your dormitory key card to Honami?"

"Yes."

"..."

The group fell silent.

Miyano Makoto naturally had things he needed to do, and that was—

Challenging clubs.

Challenging a club on the very first day of school; he was confident that no one in this school was faster than him.

"Is this the Chess Club?"

"Yes, may I ask who you are...? If you're a freshman looking to apply for membership, please come back tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day for freshman club applications."

"No, I'm here to exchange some insights on chess with you seniors."

Miyano Makoto denied the assumption and stated his true intentions.

"Of course, the kind with a wager."

"Which class are you in?"

The student greeting him at the door asked, as this was important.

"Class B, first year."

"Then please, come in."

The student at the door stepped aside to let Miyano Makoto enter the club activity room.

"How many private points are you planning to wager?"

"One hundred thousand."

Upon hearing this answer, not only that student but everyone else who hadn't been paying attention also turned their gazes toward him.

"One hundred thousand points? Don't you need to live, underclassman?"

"While it's true that the school provides free daily necessities and vegetable sets, it's really not a life an average person can endure."

It wasn't just the original student; others chimed in to persuade him.

"It's fine, thank you for your concern, seniors. As for those matters, someone else will handle them for me."

Miyano Makoto actually felt a bit embarrassed. He had come to challenge the club; why were they worrying about him now?

"Alright, since you've said so, I won't be polite, underclassman."

The senior who had greeted Miyano Makoto at the door said.

Twenty minutes later...

"How is this possible... I actually... lost?"

"Thank you, senior. I appreciate the match."

Miyano Makoto said modestly. He had been displaying skill on par with his opponent the entire time, only delivering the checkmate in the final move.

"It's fine. A bet is a bet. It's only one hundred thousand private points."

The senior readily transferred the points to Miyano Makoto.

"Is there anyone else? I'll put up two hundred thousand private points."

Miyano Makoto said calmly. A mere 100,000 private points couldn't satisfy his appetite.

"I'll take you on!"

The senior who had warned Miyano Makoto about his quality of life spoke up.

Twenty minutes later...

"How is this possible? I actually lost too...?"

He had assumed this would be a sure thing, especially since Miyano Makoto's level had seemed merely average to him just moments ago.

He hadn't expected that as soon as they started, he would find the other party's level to be on par with his own, and just now, he had been checkmated at the very last moment.

"Tell me... you wouldn't happen to be playing the fool to catch the tiger, would you?"

"How could that be?"

Miyano Makoto said with a wry smile.

"That was just me getting lucky, you don't need to doubt your own skills, senior. Thank you for the match."

After accepting the 200,000 private points transferred by the senior, "I'm putting up 400,000 private points. Who wants to go another round with me?"

"..."

The look in that senior's eyes toward Miyano Makoto had already changed. And you still claim you aren't playing the pig to eat the tiger?